When fighting against abortion, I have to question what our goal is.
1) Is it to avenge the lives that have already been taken?
2) Is it to prevent future lives from being taken?
3) Is it to punish the mothers that have had abortions?
4) Is it to protect women who would have abortions from committing an atrocious act?
Honestly, I think people over-focus on 1, 2, and 3.
I'm not certain what happens to babies when they die, but I believe in a just and merciful God and I trust that he'll do whatever is right - even if my feeble, limited mind can't comprehend the "rightness" of what is done.
When it comes to abortion, for some reason my heart is more for the woman than the lost child. Don't get me wrong, I feel VERY strongly for the lost child...but its much much more for the mother.
We treat women who have had abortions with so much contempt, consigning them to death - "You've committed a SIN!!! The penalty of which is DEATH!!!" Good, you know your bible. Let's see if you remember the rest of the gospel.
Do they do this because they are concerned for future lives at stake? Somehow, I don't think that's what they are thinking...rather, they're thinking more about the life that's already been taken. What do you plan to accomplish here? Revenging that child's life? Are you a holy crusader for God, now, cursing people to hell for the sins they have committed? YES, what she did was WRONG! But that life is already gone, now. Revengence is God's and God's alone - leave it in his hands. But I believe the rest of scripture says that he LOVES us and wants us to be with him so much that he gave up his own son for us.
There's a life still living in spite of the loss of an innocent child at the hands of a not-so-innocent adult. God wants her life as much as he wanted that child to live and grow. But we can't bring back what is already lost...however, we can fight for that which has yet to be saved. If you want to be a crusader for God, fight hell for the heart of the woman who's mind and heart has been decieved with the worst lies to leave the spiked tongue of Satan's mouth.
Show her that if she acknowledges that what she did was wrong, than new life is at her fingertips...all she need do is repent of her actions and embrace Christ's cleansing gift. Don't force her to acknowledge death with no hope for life. God NEVER did that. Even as he sent Adam and Eve away from his garden forever to face the gaping mouth of death, he left a promise for New Life.
Are you willing to fight for her, too? Because she needs life just as much as the unborn child.
8 comments:
--3) Is it to punish the mothers that have had abortions?--
Abortion is not the fault of the woman alone, the blame must also be on the irresponsible man who in want of physical pleasure impregnates the woman.
An interesting perspective. I have to admit to a fair amount of judgementality about women who whack a baby because he inconvenienced her career plans or threatened to give her stretch marks or whatever.
Thus, #2 is a primary driver for me, and #1 and #3 are irrelevant as the horses have already left the barn.
It's an interesting quandary to be sure. How to love the sinner but hate the sinful act. Much tougher would be the unrepentant woman.
Here's a question: do you think it would be more effective to witness to an abortionette who's just taken the life of an innocent, or just stamp her out (objective #3) the Mosaic way?
Even better, also in the spirit of the Old School ways, the baby's father and/or the father's family could decide her fate.
Either way, eventually, word would get out and you'd see abortions drop off dramatically.
Particularly since a goodly chunk of abortions are committed by repeat customers.
do you think it would be more effective to witness to an abortionette who's just taken the life of an innocent
I think that in MANY cases, it would be more effective. And you can't know which ones until you try.
Many women who get abortions are convinced of the following:
a) They have absolutly no other options open to them or
b) They are convinced that what's inside them isn't really a child
Sure, there's a lot of women who are going to get abortions because they don't want to inconvenience their lifestyle or hurt their appearances.
But I don't think they make up even a small portion of those that get abortions.
I think the majority are confused and have been lied to...and its a shame that people would rather condemn them to hell for the lie than to show them the truth and the way to life.
But truth to women who have already committed the act is difficult to handle - especially when the majority sharing the truth do so in a condemning way. For her to embrace what is being told to her as truth means she is acknowledging herself as a murderer. Seeing yourself as such when you didn't consider yourself as such before when now there's no turning back can be destructive to a human being who doesn't want that life and never intended for it to be that way. And many evangelists seem to think that all they need to do is call them all murderers without pointing them in the right direction to forgiveness and life.
It takes discernment, though. Never should anyone not heed Christ's command that when no one listens, walk out of the city, shake the dust from your sandals, and don't return.
Bhanu -
Sure, the man is at fault for leaving or impregnating a woman who is not his wife.
But the woman is the only one responsible for having an abortion, no matter what the circumstances.
Women who have had abortions are responsible to make amends with God but are victims otherwise. They have been lied to over and over. I believe a woman or girl who has had an abortion needs to feel regret and pain(emotional) so they can get the proper help and heal as much as they can and this can only be done by facing the truth. BTW, thank you for your blog, I'm glad I found it.
I do not agree with abortion.
I, however unpopular this may make me, understand why abortion's exist.
Punishing mothers?
Uh, if they feel as you stated they do, "I think the majority are confused and have been lied to...and its a shame that people would rather condemn them to hell for the lie than to show them the truth and the way to life." I'm pretty certain they punish themselves everyday for their choice.
"But the woman is the only one responsible for having an abortion, no matter what the circumstances."
Is this the same woman who is completely responsible for the sexual act that lead up to the pregnancy?
If it is indeed both the mother and the father's child, is there not equal blame? Men want to be included in decisions ... equal blame?
PS. Abortion, what a ball of pluged in exposed wires, on EVERY level.
No one ever wins with this topic. It's too loaded with "feelings"...
*sigh*
WW said,
If it is indeed both the mother and the father's child, is there not equal blame? Men want to be included in decisions ... equal blame?
Problem is, usually, the father doesn't get a decision in the matter - sometimes, he doesn't even know there is a baby.
You're right, Abortion is a big ball of confused and emotionally charged vitriol.
There are women and girls whose parents, partners, or doctors force an abortion on them - who are told that there's absolutely nothing wrong with it and that its just a ball of tissue, anyway.
There are other women who are afraid that they can't support their cild and that this is the only way that they're child will not face abject misery in life.
There are even others who believe that looking in the face of their rapist every single day will foster feelings of hatred for a child conceived in such a way and are afraid of growing to hate it so much and that they would be unable to give it the love that child needs.
Its really hard to deal with all those scenarios - especially if you don't know or don't think they are possibilities. Its even harder to shed light on the situation and convince them that there were other options...especially when they can't change their minds anymore...
Jeff said,
I believe a woman or girl who has had an abortion needs to feel regret and pain(emotional) so they can get the proper help and heal as much as they can and this can only be done by facing the truth
And he's absolutely right...but when do you tell them about the help and the healing? As you're trying to help them face the truth? Or after they have?
You are not a person that they love and trust. You are not someone whose life has involved their happiness or who has strived to teach them the best way to live.
Why should they trust you when you tell them to face the truth when you leave it at that?
WW,
Is this the same woman who is completely responsible for the sexual act that lead up to the pregnancy?
Ummm...that's a loaded question. In part, no. And yes.
It doesn't matter how she came to be pregnant - that's not what's in discussion here.
Yes, she coulda been raped - though I'd contend that the majority of rape cases involve date rape, drugs, and alcohol (with both involved) and the woman is just as liable in those cases for not taking her own personal safety into consideration.
Its what she does with the conception and the child resulting from such acts. What is she going to do? Is she going to trust that God is in control over her life and this child's and trust that he wants this to happen? Or is she going to respond in fear and distrust, foresaking the only good part of what just happened? The only part that occurred sheerly out of God's perfect will?
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